Contemporary high performance computing main memory systems are generally composed of one or more memory devices, such as dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs), which are connected to one or more memory controllers and/or processors. The DIMMs can be connected via one or more memory interface elements such as buffers, hubs, bus-to-bus converters, etc. The memory devices are generally located in a memory subsystem and are often connected via a pluggable interconnection system by one or more connectors to a system board, such as a personal computer (PC) motherboard.
Overall computer system performance is affected by each of the key elements of the computer structure, including the performance/structure of the processor, any memory caches, the input/output (I/O) subsystem, the efficiency of the memory control functions, the performance of the main memory devices, any associated memory interface elements, and the type and structure of the memory interconnect interface.
Some vital computer applications rely on data integrity and go to extreme lengths to protect the data from unexpected faults, such as power failures. Most storage systems make some provision for storing pending data in the event of a power failure, but most are on a best effort basis and rely on transient energy sources to preserve as much data as possible before the energy runs out. In disk drives for instance, the spinning media becomes a source of energy utilized to store any residual unwritten data.
Data that could not have been transferred from system memory to a peripheral storage system can be a greater risk. In applications that rely on data integrity, other accommodations must be made at the system level. A standard approach to preserving system operation is a battery back-up structure that maintains the system power for some duration, but this approach consumes significant space and can only be a short term solution. Beyond the duration of the battery back-up system, the critical data would be lost.
Thus, a need still remains for a memory management system with power source. In view of the increasing need to protect mission critical data, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.